Starting tech tactic question.

[robertbc73]

If you are in a game, where everyone is starting with the minimum tech, how does one go about conquering minor races? Do you just sacrifice scouts or rush the system, with more troop transports than they have orbitals?

[cleverwise]

I personally just try to bride them. If the system has shields then transports are useless. You need capital ships to bust through orbits and shields. Obviously develop tech as fast as possible.

[robertbc73]

This is before capital ships are available and playing the Klingons. Money is too tight, starting, to try to bribe unfavorable races.

[slickrcbd]

Either get the minors before they develop defenses or bribe them, those are your only options. I know having the Andorians or Zakdorn able to build experienced ships can give you an extreme advantage since normally that ability doesn't happen until tech level 5, so save your credits and bribe them.

[robertbc73]

Some races though just aren't built for bribing minors, that is why I was asking. So a shield generate prevents troops from landing?

[cleverwise]

Those are about your only options short of cheating with UE. You need capital ships if they have shields. Yes shields cause issues for transports.

I realize you are saying you don't have capital ships but those are needed to break though shields and take hits from orbits. There are just times you have to wait until you get more tech. If you have some extra production then build some low cost ships and sell them for money. Still it isn't uncommon you just have to wait until you have more tech, money, and ships.

[thunderchero]

as klingons I sacrifice scout/destroyers. but only if I have enough ships and would still be able to defend my systems

[robertbc73]

Only capital ships I ever had survive, attacking a system, were strike cruisers.

[slickrcbd]

Destroyers and scouts tend to die attacking planets with even one orbital battery, but at low tech levels in the vanilla game, it is possible to assail systems with cruisers if they don't have too many batteries. Just make sure you have enough cruisers. At least nine of various types.


Also separate your transports into a separate task force, and do NOT have them attack on the first term. If your cruisers have a scout as part of their task force, put it with the transports or destroyers.
Once you've pounded the defenses so there are no orbital batteries remaining, then have the cruisers stop attacking and go do something else while your transports attack, with only the aid of a single scout.
If there is only ONE orbital remaining, you can have the transports join in a joint attack on the system along with the scouts and destroyers.

[Coracle]

If you are in a game, where everyone is starting with the minimum tech, how does one go about conquering minor races? Do you just sacrifice scouts or rush the system, with more troop transports than they have orbitals?

Most of the answers here were not really precise:
Yes, planetary shields (and only those) need some stronger ships. But at the beginning, minor will not have those. So the corrrect answer is:
Sacrifice Scouts for the orbitals and have enough TTs for the population, and put them in the right order (see general guide). It works all the time and Klings are best with this strategy.
(Fergs, on the other hand, have really weak TTs, so you may be forced to add in other ships with your TTs).

Coracle

[slickrcbd]

I thought my previous post was precise.
I've found that even a single orbital will inflict unacceptable losses on anything less than a heavy destroyer/light cruiser (or whatever the next weakest warship is after the scout and destroyer, or fifth weakest ship if you want to include colony ships and troop transports).
Still, if there are three or less orbitals, you can do it with destroyers. If there is one or less, you can do it with scouts.
Have the warships attack first, and DO NOT let the troop transports attack until the orbital batteries have been destroyed. If there is only one orbital, you might be able to get away with letting the troop transports attack in tandem with the warships.

I'll say again, attacking more than a single orbital with only scouts is generally not worth it. Wait until you develop destroyers or preferably a few cruisers (or whatever the next strongest ship is after your first destroyer, two steps above a scout). You usually get them around the same time as destroyers anyways.

The best way to deal with minors while working on building up some destroyers is with diplomacy, even for the Klingons or Cardassians, butter them up and offer them membership. Focus on the more important ones first of course, but you can butter up the first one you find.

[robertbc73]

Thank you all for the responses.